South Korea Immediately Responds to North Korea Ballistic Missile Launch

South Korea has responded to North Korea’s most recent ballistic missile launch.

As The Western Journal reported, North Korea launched a ballistic missile Wednesday in the early hours of the morning local time.

“North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile early this morning from Pyongsong, South Pyongan, to the east direction. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff is analyzing more details of the missile with the U.S. side,” a South Korean military official told CNN.

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In response, the South Korean military is staging a “precision strike” missile exercise, the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

The missile was fired toward the Sea of Japan, and landed in what the Japanese prime minster’s office called “Japan’s exclusive economic zone.”

Following the launch, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called his Cabinet ministers together for an emergency meeting.

“A missile was launched from North Korea which appears to have landed within Japan’s exclusive economic zone,” Abe’s office said in a Twitter statement, as reported by CNBC. “As soon as new information comes in, we will let you know.”

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It was North Korea’s first missile launch since September, and according to The Washington Post, the move seemingly put an end to “a pause that some hoped could allow diplomatic efforts to gain traction.”

Even before the launch, the Japanese government and U.S. intelligence officials had been on alert due to radio signals coming from North Korea that indicated a missile launch could be imminent.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency had pointed out that these signals could be related to North Korean military training.

In the months prior to this most recent launch, North Korea has boasted that it is in possession of missiles capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Trump administration have said they are seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but are growing tired of North Korea’s antics.

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“If North Korea keeps on with this reckless behavior, if the United States has to defend itself or defend its allies in any way, North Korea will be destroyed,” U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told CNN in September. “And we all know that, and none of us want that.”

“We wanted to be responsible and go through all diplomatic means to get their attention first. If that doesn’t work, General Mattis will take care of it,” she said, referring to Defense Secretary James Mattis.